


The Aftermath

by BlueTheClone



Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Memories, My First Fanfic, Past Character Death, Post-Canon, Post-good ending, Reconciliation, Self-Hatred, Slow Burn, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-21 13:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30022263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueTheClone/pseuds/BlueTheClone
Summary: Sunny has confessed the truth, he doesn't expect forgiveness, but he definitely hopes for it. Now his friends have to learn to move on and Basil must come back to reality.WARNING: This work is based on OMORI, if you are sensitive to topics such as depression, suicide, self-harm, guilt, and trauma, I recommend reading something else.
Relationships: Aubrey & Basil & Hero & Kel & Sunny (OMORI), Aubrey/Sunny (OMORI)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 77





	1. The Truth Hurts

**_~Sunny~_ **

I walked down the hospital corridor, my legs feel like they hadn't been used in years and my arms feel frail. I feel like I'm made of glass, yet I'm not in a worse physical condition than before, maybe it's because of my fight with Basil, or perhaps it's because I was making myself vulnerable.

My dream friends were chatting where the halls intersected, Aubrey noticed me and ran up to me stopping a few inches from my face, I can't hear what she's saying but she looks excited. After talking for a while she took off down the hall with Kel following her shortly after, Hero lingered for a bit before following them. There's someone to my right, someone I know, walking the opposite direction my friends had gone, I followed the familiar figure down the hall.

When we came to a wall, the shadow faded. I turned to my left to see my friend Basil in front of a door, that's where he was, it had to be, I walked towards him and he disappeared, leaving only the door in my way. I gripped the cold doorknob and let myself in, my friends were gathered around Basil, lying in his hospital bed, they slowly realized my arrival and turned to face me, for a moment they all stood there staring with surprised looks on their faces, I would be surprised too, I was stabbed after all, but I have to focus and speak before any of them have the chance.

"I have to tell you something."

I told his friends what happened, I told them how Mari and I got into a fight, how I pushed her down the stairs, how Basil framed it as a suicide. They once again stared, blankly this time, Hero looked horrified and miserable probably trying to comprehend what he had just heard. Kel looked like he was trying to hold back tears, though if he was his attempt was in vain, Aubrey had a glazed look in her eyes and she was trembling, I was probably going to end up in a body cast.

I couldn't bring myself to look away from my friends, I didn't want to see their painful expressions, but I have to be brave and face this head-on. I suddenly felt dizzy, the room started spinning around me, my everything became fuzzy, and my head felt light. I stumbled as I lost balance, I tried to force myself to remain conscious, but I was too weak, I could only muster up the strength to utter a small groan as I fell into nothingness.

I didn't dream of any grand adventure or wonderous land, I dreamed I was with my friends, having a picnic by the lake, Basil, Aubrey, Kel, and Hero were all there, and in a way, Mari was there too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing a fic, so please don't roast me too hard, but feedback and criticisms are appreciated. If y'all enjoy this I'd be happy to make more!


	2. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny collapsed, after some panicking his friends now have time to process what just went down. Hero tries to be a voice of reason while Aubrey is unable to remain calm.

**~Hero~**

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, Sunny had… killed Mari. Not just that, but Basil… the timid boy beside me, hung her from their favorite tree. God, how hadn't I noticed? Mari's growing impatience as the recital approached, Sunny's resistance to practice, and further silence among their group discussions.  
  
So many thoughts and emotions ran through my head: realization, confusion, sadness, grief; I don't know what to think, how to feel, should I be angry at Sunny? He was sobbing, clearly in severe emotional anguish, he was so thin and frail. When was the last time he ate? How did he survive this long?  
  
My string of confusing thoughts was interrupted as Sunny fell forward. I never moved so fast in my life, fast enough to catch Sunny from collapsing onto the ground. He was so light, Kel and Aubrey were frozen, they only began to move as I shouted at them, "Kel! Aubrey! Go get help!" it took them a second to come out of their trance but they soon ran out of the room.  
  
I need to check to see if Sunny is breathing… He is, thank God. I took a moment before I realized how sickly Sunny looked; he was deathly pale and way lighter than a 16-year-old should be. How could I let this happen?  
  
No. I shouldn't blame myself anymore, last time I did, I hurt Kel, I can't do that again… but, I had grieved for a whole year because I blamed himself for Mari's death, I was miserable, I only snapped out of it after I made Kel cry with my verbal abuse, while Sunny was drowning himself in self-hatred, he had been suffering so much longer, and so much more, I don't know what I feel towards Sunny but I was thankful he was still alive.  
  
Sometime later Kel and Aubrey came back into the room with several nurses who took Sunny back to his room, I breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.  
  
"He's gonna be okay, right?" Kel was concerned, I put a hand on his shoulder. "He'll be alright, he just needs to rest a little more." I tried my best to comfort Kel.  
  
"H-He... He killed her," Aubrey said from behind me, "I don't understand, how did this happen?"  
  
I hesitated for a moment, "We… We'll just have to ask him when he wakes up."  
  
Aubrey's sorrow quickly turned to anger, "How are you so calm?! He just told us that he killed Mari!"  
  
"I know that, but… we have to try and process this."  
  
She raised her voice, "Process what?! He killed her! Why aren't you angry?! You loved her!"  
  
I did love her, of course, I loved her, and I wouldn't ever stop loving her, but Sunny did too, "We all did Aubrey. You, me, Kel, Basil, Sunny… We all loved her. And she loved us, and she loved Sunny."  
  
Aubrey clenched her fists and put her arms to her side as they trembled, her lip quivered, she marched over to the door.  
  
Kel spoke up, "Where are you going?"  
  
"To be alone." She answered as she stormed off.  
  
Kel's head was hung low, he couldn't smile through this, he wants to go after her, "Kel, you can go if you want to, I'll be home later on."  
  
Kel nodded, "Thanks bro. I'll see you later." He was quieter than usual.  
  
"Text me if you need anything."  
  
Kel heard me but kept walking and left the room, leaving me alone with an unconscious Basil. I can't understand Basil as well as I understand Sunny, but I knew that the blonde boy was gentle and compassionate, he wouldn't have done what he did without some sort of reason. Whatever sort of twisted reason it was, I didn't know, but I knew he had to have one.  
  
I should check on Sunny, I want to make sure he's okay before I leave. Still, I lingered for a while, I knew Basil was unaware of his presence, but I felt staying a little longer would comfort him anyway.  
  
Eventually, I exited Basil's room and after some walking, found myself in Sunny's room, flowers surrounded his bed, they were from the people around town, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself a little, even with as skeletal and anti-social as Sunny was, he clearly possessed a kind heart and some sort of charisma. I sat next to Sunny, looking at the sickly boy once more, I wonder if he'll be able to use his eye again? The doctor hadn't informed them much of Sunny's condition.  
  
I gently grasped Sunny's arm, I don't know why I did, maybe some part of me wanted to comfort Sunny even in his unconscious state, I looked at Sunny's eye, they still didn't know what happened that night, but at least they knew it was about Mari. To think that they would hurt each other, they must have been in some state of mind.  
  
Just then a thought crossed my mind if they would hurt each other... then…  
  
I turned over Sunny's arm and looked closely. I was right, Sunny's arm was covered in faint scars, Sunny had been harming himself, my heart sank, his friend, someone he saw as a brother was cutting himself, but all of the scars were faded, these were from a while back, at least 2 years, when did the cutting stop, why did it stop? I sat back in my chair, I had so many questions, and anytime it seemed like I answered one, many more took its place.  
  
I sat there thinking to myself, about how much pain Sunny was in, how I could have helped, how I could help now. I looked out the window, the sun was starting to go down, crap… I must have been thinking for a while, I need to go home, "Get better soon Sunny." I said before standing up, it had been a tiring day.  
  
While exiting the hospital, I pulled out my phone to text Kel, hopefully he found Aubrey.  
  
|Kel|  
  
7:16 P.M. - 7/28  
  
Hero: I'm on my way home, if you managed to find Aubrey, bring her with you.  
  
Kel: Ok  
  
Kel: But what if she says no?  
  
Hero: Tell her she's eating dinner with us and that it's non-negotiable.  
  
Kel: On it!  
  
Good, that's one mistake fixed, there's a lot more I have to fix, but at least she wouldn't be going back to that house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2nd Chapter! Hope y'all enjoyed, Hero's one of my favorite characters and I love to explore what he thinks about the whole situation with Sunny and Mari.


	3. Hypocrite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aubrey manages to find somewhere to be alone, somewhere to think about what in the hell just happened.

_**~Aubrey~** _

My head was spinning, I couldn’t process what I had just been told, or what Hero said to me, I just stormed out of the hospital, I didn't know where I was going, I just walked and eventually I found myself at Faraway Park.

Did my legs take me here subconsciously? Whatever, I don't care right now. I made my way past the trees and shrubbery until I emerged at the lake, my gang's secret hangout spot. I felt guilty thinking of it like that, it didn't belong to us, we had no right to try and force Basil out. Even if he…  
  
I sighed and sat down on the boardwalk, I wanted to scream at the world for what it had done, scream at Sunny and Basil for what THEY had done. But for some reason, that didn't seem fair, but why? They lied to me, to us for 4 years, 4 years of thinking Mari hung herself for God knows what reason, only to find out that Sunny had killed her and Basil strung her up on their favorite tree. Why don't I want to beat them to death or cave their heads in?  
  
I lowered my gaze to the lake, we always had so much fun here, whether it was having a picnic in the warm sun, running around in the cool grass, or swimming in the lake. I always had fun swimming here, it sucked that Mari wouldn't let us after Sunny nearly drowned, and he had almost drowned again. Basil nearly drowned too, but he didn’t, I didn't mean to push him, but if Hero hadn't been there, we never would've found out about Mari. And I…  
  
I would have been the same as them. I couldn’t hate Sunny because I almost had blood on my hands too, and I couldn't blame Basil, because I didn't know what to do either, I panicked, and they both almost died, if not for Hero. By why? I can swim, I could easily drag a malnourished Sunny out of the lake, and certainly I could drag Basil out too, so why couldn't I move? Why couldn't I do anything?  
  
Why was Hero so much better than me? Why was Kel so much more selfless than me? Why was Basil so much kinder than me? Why was Sunny so much braver than me? If I had killed them that day, I don't think I would be able to do what Sunny did today.  
  
But even then, I'm still allowed to be angry at them, right? I was angry, it didn't feel wrong saying that I was angry at Sunny and Basil, but it would be more accurate to say that my rage was directed at whatever hands of fate conspired against our group's happiness. I couldn't bring myself to hate them, I still care about them, I told Sunny as much, he was still my friend, even with what he's done. He's been a better friend to her than I've ever been to anyone, even after I insulted him, hit him with a nail bat, and mocked him for isolating himself. I'm childish and immature, I'm such a horrible friend… Mari would be ashamed of me.  
  
I started crying, I hate what I've become, the stupid delinquent persona I've adopted, how I run away from my problems, the angry at everyone and everything mentality I've taken up; I hate all of it. I've been pushing everyone away because I wanted to get away from it, to try and find some peace, but now I'd give anything to go back, to relive those happy days, to help Sunny with whatever drove him to that point, he always listened to me, but she rarely took the time to listen to him.  
  
Maybe I should go back, and apologize to Hero and Kel, or maybe not, I don't really trust myself around Sunny and Basil, I may not hate them specifically, but God if I didn't want to punch them both in the gut right now. Maybe another day, they were still my friends, I have to try to forgive them, if I didn't what would that make me?  
  
"Woah, you're actually here!" a familiar voice called out to me, I quickly wiped my tears before I turned around and spoke back to him.  
  
"Kel?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aubrey time!! I'm really happy people seem to like this, I literally couldn't sleep last night, I'll be putting out more chapters soon! I want to put out multiple at a time, and also make them a little longer if I can, so the next few chapters might not come out for a few days, or maybe they'll come out tomorrow if I can't bring myself to stop writing.


	4. Do You Regret It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kel looks for Aubrey, she probably needs someone to talk to, and so does he.

**_~Kel~_ **

I looked all over town, but I couldn't find Aubrey, I know she probably doesn't want to talk, but she needs to and so do I, she can yell at me if she wants, I know I've caused trouble for her, but maybe if she yells at me everything will be okay, that's what happened with Hero, so it would work with Aubrey too right? If I just told her how I feel about everything, we could really be friends again.  
  
I didn’t bother checking Aubrey's house, it didn't seem like a place anyone would want to go to calm down or go ever really, I went straight to the church, when I didn't see Aubrey in there either I progressed to the cemetery, and to Mari's grave.  
  
\--------------  
  
Mari Suzuki  
March 1, 1993 - October 24, 2008  
  
Our Dearest Mari  
  
The sun shined brighter when she was here.  
  
\--------------  
  
Her grave held a new meaning now, it was no longer a reminder of her suicide, it was a reminder of what Sunny and Basil had done, I know it was an accident, Sunny and Basil weren't malicious people, I honestly couldn't imagine 12-year old Basil attempting to say anything mean to anyone, but I still couldn’t help but be angry, they were still my friends but I didn’t know what to think of them.  
  
That doesn't matter though, I'll stick by their side, even if Aubrey wants to kill them, I'll make sure I'm there for my friends like Hero always is, I had always looked up to Hero he was the perfect older brother: caring, friendly, and motivated, he was really cool, he even saved Sunny and Basil from drowning.  
  
Duh, the lake! How could I forget about the lake, she had to be there, I spun around to run to our hangout spot, but I stopped myself and looked back to Mari's grave.  
  
"I almost forgot!" I approached her headstone and placed my hand on it, "Don't worry Mari, I'll make sure everyone is happy again." I finished reassuring Mari and booked it through the church and down the road. It didn't take me long to reach Faraway Park and soon enough I was making my way through the path to the lake.  
  
Eventually, I made it through and while weaving through the abandoned roadsigns, I heard crying, I looked towards the source to see the pink-haired girl sitting on the boardwalk, holding her legs, sobbing into them. I've never been good at comforting people, the best I can do is try to cheer her up or make her angry at me, so I greeted her with my normal go-get 'em attitude. "I finally found you!"  
  
Aubrey jumped, she quickly rubbed her eyes and nose, and turned towards me, "Kel? What do you want?" She tried to sound intimidating, but she just sounded irritated and upset.  
  
"I want to talk to you, as your friend," I dropped the cheerful tone and went for a more understanding one, "Please?"  
  
Aubrey stared for a moment, I wasn't someone who was exactly known to discuss heavy topics, I expected her to tell me to leave, but instead, she patted the spot beside her, "Fine, sit here."  
I sat where she had said, and looked to her, "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like shit."  
  
"I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but it might help, and I'm your friend, I'm here to support you."  
  
"Sniff… Thanks Kel, I mean it." She was definitely calmer than before, that was a good sign, right?  
  
"Of course, so… I wanted to ask, are you mad at Hero?" I waited with bated breath for her to answer.  
  
"No, I'm not mad at him anymore… sigh… he's right, I was just upset and wanted to take my anger out on someone."  
  
"That's okay. I'm upset too, but we have to remember that Sunny and Basil were kids, and they were scared, and they loved Mari like we did."  
  
"I know… it's all just so confusing, and there's so much we still don't know, like why did they fought, and why did he decide to tell us now?"  
  
"I don't know, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was because of Mari's expectations."  
  
Aubrey looked at me with a puzzled look on her face, "Huh, what do mean?"  
  
"Well, I love Hero, he's fun to be around, and he's an amazing older brother, but my parents expect me to be like him sometimes, and it really sucks, I'm not the perfect guy he is and my parents know that, but they forget it sometimes. I think Sunny might have been going through something like that. I mean, Mari was a perfectionist, even when we were making flower crowns, she didn't think the one she made was good enough, I think it might have got to Sunny."  
  
"I guess that makes sense, it was the night of the recital after all."  
  
"W-Well, I don't know for certain it's just a guess." I was surprised she agreed, it sounded dumb in my head.  
  
"Hey... can I ask you something?"  
  
I was a little confused, what could she want to ask me about? Despite my confusion I agreed, "Sure, go for it."  
  
"Do you regret knocking on his door? Now that you know, do you regret spending those days with him?"  
  
I hadn't expected that, I hadn't even thought of it until now. I didn't regret it, no matter what he did, Sunny was my friend, I may have been shaking while knocking on the door, but I was determined to get Sunny outside, "No… I don't, in fact, I'm more glad I did it now."  
  
"Yeah, I'm glad too." Aubrey looked down at the shimmering water, "I remember after Mari died, I tried to get him outside, but he never came, I must have knocked for hours… maybe… maybe I didn't try hard enough."  
  
"Aubrey… don't blame yourself, I doubt anyone could have gotten him out that early, and it's good that you tried."  
  
"Thanks Kel. I really appreciate you being here for me, I know I'm a dick to you and all, but I really care about you still. I want to change the way I treat others, I'm sick of being angry."  
  
"Glad I'm not the only one."  
  
"You suck." Aubrey gave me a friendly punch to my arm.  
  
I smiled and felt a buzz come from my phone, Hero texted me.  
  
|Hebro|  
  
7:16 P.M. - 7/28  
  
Hero: I'm on my way home, if you managed to find Aubrey, bring her with you.  
  
Kel: Ok  
  
Kel: But what if she says no?  
  
Hero: Tell her she's eating dinner with us and that it's non-negotiable  
  
Kel: On it!  
  
I jumped to my feet, "Come on, we're going."  
  
Aubrey looked confused, "What, going where?"  
  
"My house! Hero says that you're eating with us and that it's non-negotiable!"  
  
Aubrey remained silent for a moment before standing up, "Fine, why not."  
  
"C'mon if we hurry we can beat him there." I practically dragged Aubrey along as I raced back to my house for dinner, I was happy to be with my friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters took me a little longer, but I'm happy with how they turned out. And now half of the remaining chapters are already drafted. Hope you guys enjoyed!


	5. It Means Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aubrey has dinner with Kel and Hero, they use the time to talk about Sunny and Basil, and Aubrey cries some more.

_**~Aubrey~** _

Kel's house wasn't too far from the park, and the walk there was quite nice… actually, it was less of a walk and more of a jog, since Kel kept insisting that I hurry up; he was still a little annoying, but he was definitely fun to be around, and it gave him charm or something like that.  
  
Eventually, we reached Kel's house, as entered we heard Hero call out from the kitchen, "Good you're back, is Aubrey with you?"  
  
Kel ran to the kitchen door to check if he had heard wrong, "Aww man, how did you beat us here?"  
  
"I'll take that as a yes."  
  
I moved next to Kel to greet his brother, "Hey Hero."  
  
Hero smiled at me; he was wearing a white apron and holding some kind of herb, he was a natural in the kitchen, "Hello Aubrey, dinner will be done in a while so you two should go wash up."  
  
"Will do!" Kel exclaimed before he ran up the stairs and into the bathroom, Hero chuckled a little, Kel was always excited for food.  
  
"So do you feel better now?" Hero asked.  
  
I nodded, "A little."  
  
"Well, you've definitely calmed down."  
  
I looked at the floor, I was pretty embarrassed about how I reacted, "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that."  
  
Hero just shrugged it off, "It's fine, don't worry about it."  
  
"But it isn't... I said some awful stuff, stuff I shouldn't have said."  
  
"Aubrey, really, it's okay, you were angry, it's understandable, now go wash your hands, we're having spaghetti."  
  
I wanted to tell Hero he was wrong, but I knew Hero wouldn't back down so I simply agreed, "Right."  
  
I walked up the stairs just in time for Kel to walk out of the bathroom, he smiled at me being the beacon of positive energy he was, "All yours Aubrey!"  
  
"Thanks, Kel." I smiled back at him.  
  
I washed my face to get all the tears and snot off and wiped it down with a hand towel, luckily I don't wear makeup so I don't have to worry about washing it off, not that the crying would have left me with much anyway. I moved on to my hands, making sure to wash them with soap, which was something I didn't do too often, on account of my house not even having soap, let alone constant running water, I forgot how nice soap smelt, after drying off my hands, I went back downstairs, I couldn't help but think of Mari, but I quickly dismissed those thoughts as I walked back to where the brothers were.  
  
Hero and Kel were talking about something but stopped as I entered, Hero was the first to speak, "You're just in time Aubrey, dinner's ready, grab a plate." I did as instructed picking up a plate that had been set on the counter and walked back over to Hero.  
  
"Feel free to serve yourself, take as much as you'd like."  
  
It had been a while since I got to eat homestyle cooking, especially Hero's, so I grabbed a large amount of spaghetti and made sure to get lots of sauce for it, I sat down at the table with Kel and Hero, who had already gotten their plates.  
  
Kel was already devouring his noodles, it was actually impressive how little sauce was on his face, and Hero was taking his time, savoring his food, twisting his fork around in the pasta before eating. It was nice eating Hero's cooking again, it brought me back to when we were kids, Hero had always been the best cook, which he still was, but somehow Mari's cookies were always better even though Hero used a better recipe, Hero said it was something about the love in them.  
  
"So... where are your parents?" Damn that came out awkward.  
  
Kel was the first to jump on the question, "Munch munch... They took Sally.. munch munch... to some kind of event, said they'd be back later... munch munch." That wasn't gross at all.  
  
"Knowing them, they'll be back late tonight, so it's just us here." Hero used his hand to cover his mouth while talking, he was always the more well-mannered of the two.  
  
I looked at Hero, I'm was glad I apologized, but I was still so confused, how did he remain so calm after Sunny's confession? "Hey Hero, do you mind if I ask you a question?"  
  
Hero covered his hand with his mouth even though he had already swallowed the food he was eating, "Go for it."  
  
"Are you mad at Sunny and Basil?"  
  
Hero thought for a moment before answering, "I think so it's kinda hard to tell... Why do you ask?"  
  
"Because at the hospital you were so calm and understanding, you told me to think about how they feel… how did you do it?" I thought Hero would be the angriest out of all of us, considering how he was Mari's boyfriend, but he didn't seem even a little angry.  
  
"Well… that's a little hard to answer, I guess I've always been a calm person, some part of me is angry at them, but the rest of me just wants to comfort them and tell them it's okay."  
  
"Yeah, I get what you mean." Kel said.  
  
Hero sighed, "You guys probably didn't notice, but Sunny… he had cuts on his arms."  
  
"What?!" My heart sank. Sunny had been cutting himself?! How didn't I notice? Surely I would have noticed right?  
  
"Seriously?!" Kel was just as shocked as I was, I felt like such a jerk for wanting to punch him, how didn't that cross our minds?  
  
"Unfortunately yes, they were pretty faded, so he stopped doing it a while ago, I'd say it's been a couple years since he last did it."  
  
I was still trying to unravel the mess my mind had just been thrown into, "He just stopped?"  
  
"That's what it looked like, but I still can't figure out why." The table grew silent, everyone saddened at the thought of Sunny cutting himself because of what he did. While I wanted to vomit at the thought of Sunny slitting his wrists, I was at least happy he stopped.  
  
"Other than the cuts… how was he?" Kel was concerned, he was normally so happy, so when he got depressing it hit hard.  
  
Hero swallowed, "Good, there wasn't anything abnormal, he probably passed out from the emotional stress, but he actually looked peaceful while he slept."  
  
"At least he's okay now." Okay definitely wasn't right, but at least he was safe.  
  
Kel suddenly spoke up, "Y'know, I just realized, Basil doesn't know about anything that's happened." That's right, he was asleep for the whole thing, he doesn't know that Sunny told them.  
  
"You're right! Was he still asleep when you left Hero?" That thought hadn't even crossed her mind.  
  
"Yeah, he was still out cold when I left the room." It was clear Hero hadn't realized this either.  
  
"Telling him that's not gonna be fun." Kel was right, I just hope that he won't collapse like Sunny did.  
  
Hero interjected, "We'll deal with it, and we'll be there to support him." There was a bit of silence before Kel responded.  
  
"Yeah, he'll be just fine!" Kel was quick to bounce back as usual, I'm glad we can be here like this, but I could tell this wasn't Hero's only reason for having me over.  
  
"There's actually another question I wanna ask you, Hero."  
  
Hero turned to me, confused, "What is it?"  
  
"You didn't invite me over just to talk did you?"  
  
Hero put his hand on his neck and a nervous smile forming on his face, "No, I didn’t."  
  
"So what's the other reason?"  
  
Hero's hand dropped from his neck, "To tell you that you'll be sleeping here tonight."  
  
"What?!" Why am I sleeping here? What reason was there? They didn't ask this last night even though I stayed in the hospital, so why now?  
  
"Kel already told our parents and they approved, that's fine with you right?" I wanted to decline Hero's offer but then I remembered that it would mean going home.  
  
"Mhmm, that's fine." I said embarrassed, my face felt red.  
  
Hero was beaming, "Good, feel free to use the shower as well."  
  
"Thank you." I mumbled as I got up from the table, I had finished eating anyway, I ascended the stairs once more. I turned the shower on and got undressed, I'm embarrassed that I was being pitied, but still, I was grateful to Hero and Kel.  
  
It had been so long since I had an actual hot shower, it felt heavenly, I didn't bring any changes of clothes though, eh, I can make do with the ones I have, they were clean enough, I dried myself off with a towel and got dressed. I walked back into the living room to see a blanket and pillow laid on the couch.  
  
Kel spun around to face me, "Hey Aubrey."  
  
"Is this where I'm sleeping?"  
  
"Nope! It's where I'm sleeping, you're taking my bed."  
  
My face turned red again, "Thanks."  
  
Hero smiled, "No problem, holler at us if you need anything, or uh… text us rather."  
  
"Sure, thanks guys, I mean it, thank you for everything, I'm sorry for being such a bitch lately." I started crying again, I didn't deserve their friendship.  
  
Kel walked up to me and gave me a hug followed by Hero, "Aubrey, you don't have to keep apologizing, and don't say things like that, we're friends, that's not changing, got it?" Hero always knew what to say to make others feel better.  
  
"Sniff... Okay." I felt even more embarrassed than before, but I didn't care, I was happy, I could endure the shame for a while, at least until this hug ends.  
  
After a while they let go of me and stepped back, I wasn't much of a hugger, or at least that's how I portrayed herself, but that was nice, I wish it lasted just a little longer, but if it did it probably would've gotten awkward. "Welp! I'm beat," Kel flopped onto the couch, "Night Aubrey, night Hero."  
  
Hero went to respond, but Kel had already fallen asleep, he sighed, "G'night Kel." I followed Hero upstairs, we walked into his room and sat down on their respective beds, Kel's bed was surprisingly clean if not messy, I laid down under the covers and put my head on Kel's my pillow. "Goodnight Aubrey" Hero said from across the room.  
  
I was a little late to respond, "Night Hero." I stared at the ceiling, today was eventful, to say the least, but I was glad my friends were here to endure it with me this time. Regardless if I deserved them or not, Kel and Hero were good friends, and I was happy I could call them that, the emotional roller coaster of a day started to fade away as I slowly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aubrey just needs a hug. Actually, all of these children need a hug. And therapy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunny wakes up again, he's briefed on his injuries and goes to see Basil, he finally has the chance to apologize.

_**~Sunny~** _

I slowly regained consciousness, flashbacks of passing out after confessing my sin to my friends ran through my mind. I looked around and noticed a woman checking my medical equipment, probably a nurse.  
  
The woman turned to me, noticing my eyes were open, "Oh you're awake! How do you feel?"  
  
"Fine, I guess." My voice was weak, I wasn't used to using it again.  
  
"That's good. If you don't mind I'm going to run some tests, do you feel awake enough for that?"  
  
I nodded and sat up, the tests were to determine my condition via my reaction questions and stimuli, and just when I thought she was done she said was going to get the doctor, and soon enough a man walked in. "Hello Sunny, I'm Dr. Foster, how are you feeling?"  
  
"I feel fine." I was only slightly lying, my mind kept drifting to Basil, I didn't know if he was alright  
  
"Good, you're quite lucky you know, we managed to patch you up just in time, any longer and we probably would've had to remove your eye." I do still have my eye, I couldn't really tell, everything around his eye felt numb.  
  
"Will I be blind in that eye now?"  
  
"You might find it harder to see when it's especially bright or dark as well as experiencing migraines, but other than that you should make a full recovery."  
  
I was glad my eye would still function, but I also felt like I didn't deserve it, nevertheless, this was good news, "I see." Heh. I gave myself a mental high-five for my accidental comedic genius.  
  
"We'll prescribe you some antibiotics and painkillers, I'll also go over how to wipe down the area around your injury and how often you should change eyepatches."  
  
"Uhm... how long do you think it'll take for my eye to heal?"  
  
The doctor thought for a moment, "I'd say you'll be free of the eyepatch in 2-4 months, but I'd still stay clear of things like sand, dust, or anything else that could get into your eye. Then probably another 3-6 months before you can walk around without much worry."  
  
"That's it?" It should take years for my eye to heal right?  
  
"The eye heals surprisingly quick, and your injury wasn't that bad all things considered, the biggest problems were the blood loss and the possibility of infection, you were pretty close to losing your sight though."  
  
I really was lucky, huh? My eye would be healed within a couple of months.  
  
The doctor flipped through his notes a little before grabbing his things, "Well, I hope you're feeling more optimistic about your future. Try not to pass out again, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, thank you doctor."  
  
"Of course." The doctor gave me a friendly wave as he walked out the door, I relaxed for a moment, before I pushed myself off the bed and began walking back to Basil's room.  
  
I felt once again that I was about to tell them the truth... like it was all a dream, it was so hard to grasp the passage of time recently. How long had it been since the sleepover? How long since I told my friends the truth? It was impossible to tell, I focused and cleared my mind as I entered Basil's room, he was still there, still asleep.  
  
My eyes were fixed on him, my best friend who, in a state of psychosis, I attacked out of fear and desperation, the details of the night were a little blurry, but I remembered enough: Basil's frantic pleas of loneliness, the guilt incarnate that surrounded us as we fought, the awful feeling of betrayal in my gut, the blood and screaming, the sirens creeping towards the house as everything faded. I didn't resent Basil for stabbing me, even if I lost my eye I wouldn't have felt any different towards him.  
  
Basil's let out a weary groan and began opening his eyes, his gaze moved down and stopped at Sunny, as I met Basil's eyes with my own, I couldn't help anything but smile, both Basil and I were okay, we didn't have to hide; we were in this together, for sure this time. I felt Something's glare disappear from behind me, the stare he had always felt for so long was finally gone, and it only added to his joy, he had forgotten what it felt like to be free of it. Basil smiled back at me with a similar look of relief and warmth, Basil was free of his burden too, because I was here.  
  
"H-Hi Sunny." Basil stuttered, he was never the best speaker, and he was probably nervous.  
  
"Hey Basil."  
  
"Y-You… You really came back for me."  
  
"I did, and I'm sorry Basil… about everything, about leaving you and about Mari."  
  
Basil hastily sat up in his bed, "I-It's okay Sunny! You didn't do anything wrong! I know it wasn't you, it was Something behi-"  
  
"Basil… stop. It was me. . . there was nothing behind me." I couldn't have any of my friends believing in a lie any longer.  
  
Basil wasted no time in retorting, "But Mari was..."  
  
"I know you don't want to believe it Basil, but it was my fault, I wish I didn't, but I did."  
  
"… I-I see…" Basil had to face the truth, the truth that Sunny killed his sister... he knew, he'd always known he had just been lying to himself because he didn't want to believe it.  
  
"Basil, good people can do bad things, and bad people can do good things… I don't know if I'd call myself a good person, but still."  
  
"Sunny… you are a good person, I know you may not agree with me, but I know how kind and selfless you are, despite what you did, I know you are... you have to be..."  
  
_When do you think about others? How long are you going to let people take care of you? You say you care but you're a liar. You've never done anything for anyone else. You're useless... less than useless. You're sick._  
  
Am I really selfish? I want to deny it, but I can't.  
  
_You killed Mari. She loved you and you killed her._  
  
Omori spewed a multitude of venomous phrases to make me give up, using everything that he could get to me, whether they were true or not didn't matter, because they were my thoughts.  
  
"I'm sorry I abandoned you Basil, I never should have done that. I'm a terrible friend."  
  
"Sunny, it's okay."  
  
"No it's not Basil! It's not okay! Leaving you like that, after the faith you put in me, the lengths you went to, to keep me safe... even if it was misguided, you did your best to protect me... I don't deserve to be your friend… But, if you're willing, we can fix this together, and I promise you I won’t abandon you again."  
  
"Sunny… of course I'm willing, I'm just happy to see you again."  
  
I gave Basil a tight hug, it felt so nice, not only was I touch-starved, but it had been so long since I hugged Basil, he had always been comforting to be around.  
  
"Thank you Basil. I mean it." I let Basil go and sat down next to him, Basil still didn't know that I had told our friends. "There's something else you should know."  
  
"What is it Sunny?" Basil looked concerned, he knew what was about to come couldn't be good.  
  
"I told them… about Mari."  
  
Basil's face immediately dropped, "O-Oh… I s-see… uhhhh… h-how did they take it?" He was starting to shake.  
  
"I… don't know, I passed out after telling them, but we're both alive, so that's a good indicator right?" I did his best to cheer Basil up with what was my best approximation of a joke as I held Basil's hand in my own, trying to stop him from having a panic attack.  
  
"H-Haha, yeah… I guess s-so."  
  
"I know it's scary, but we have to be brave, they deserve to know."  
  
"R-Right..."  
  
I took a deep breath, I prayed that they would understand, they didn't have to forgive me just understand that I'm sorry, and that it was an accident.  
  
"Umm, Sunny?"  
  
Sunny raised his head, "Yeah?"  
  
"When this is all over, can we start hanging out again?" Basil seemed like he was still scared I would stop being his friend, like I didn't forgive him.  
  
"Of course, I'll mean moving soon, but I'll make sure to come back and visit."  
  
"I'm glad." Basil smiled, it seemed like everything was going to be okay. The doorknob turned and the door opened, standing there were our friends, but they weren't angry, in fact, they looked sad.  
  
"You're both awake!" Kel exclaimed.  
  
"Mhmm." I nodded, I didn't expect the next interaction I had with them to be this calm.  
  
"So you already told him?" I nodded at Aubrey.  
  
"Then you know we need to talk about it." Hero was calm as ever, much to my surprise.  
  
"I do, we have a lot of explaining to do, I'm sure you're all confused, so let me start at the beginning."  
  
  
  
_"It's okay Sunny, everyone makes mistakes, let's give it another go."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So. I noticed a lot of mistakes in the previous chapters, so I fixed them, and while I was fixing them, I thought that the story would be better in first person, so I changed that too, please let me know if you like the switch, I can always change it back, at least early on.
> 
> Also, chapters are gonna come out a little more infrequently now that I have an idea of what I'm doing and not going off pure passion.


End file.
